Handknits in Shades of Pink

My closet may be filled with a whole lot of red items, but I would say that pink is actually my favorite color (which, I suppose, you could argue is a close cousin to red).  I really can't think of of a shade of pink that I don't like!  

However, when this yarn first showed up, I wasn't entirely sure what to make of this particular pink, and what it would match in my wardrobe. How is that possible?!

Well, I got over that pretty quickly, especially when I realized that it would pair perfectly with the "Sodapop Sweater" pattern from Poison Girls.  There was a question about what I would wear with the sweater, but that was an issue for another day.  Because when I have a hankering to knit, I want to jump right into a project, matching skirts and coordinates be damned.

Until I want to wear the sweater, of course!  And I solved the problem this time around by altering this skirt, which was a perfect match.

To be fair, I have been wearing this handknit quite a bit this Winter, mostly with a variety of long black skirts, so there are other items on hand to wear with my new sweater.  But that didn't seem like a very interesting outfit to post on the blog.  

And why not take the opportunity to add a fun new skirt to the mix?

In the end, it all came together. 

And now that I have a finished sweater, it's safe to say that this is my new favorite shade of pink.  Well, maybe not my absolute favorite . . . but it's in the top five, for sure!

Sweater:  Made by me, Poison Grrls "Sodapop Sweater"
Skirt:  Altered by me
Shoes:  Remix "Babydoll"
Earrings:  Gift

Strawberry Tweed

I purchased this yarn during a Knit Picks sale back in June of 2021; I wasn't sure about the color, but the price was right, so I thought that I would take a chance.  After all, what's a few more skeins of yarn to add to the stash?  Well, it arrived, and I was concerned that I had made a mistake, and it wasn't the right color pink for me.  Fast forward a few months, and I decided that I wanted to make a version of Poison Grrls "Sodapop Sweater."  I had enough of the tweed yarn for the design, and the color was beginning to grow on me.

You can probably tell where this is going . . .

[And by the way, I am not sure what is happening to me, but these top down sweaters are beginning to grow on me!]

And so was that yarn.

By the time that I had most of the body completed, I was quite sure that I had not, in fact, made a mistake with my yarn purchase, or the choice of my pattern.

I also love all of the texture from the stitch pattern as well as the added nubs of tweedy texture.

The pattern was easy to follow, and I wouldn't put it past me to make another version at some point in the future.

The only real change that I made was to increase the amount of ribbing at the waist, and decrease the ribbing at the cuffs so that the width was more consistent throughout the design.

My favorite thing about the pattern is that neckline!

So while this project may have started out as a bit of a gamble, it's definitely a winner.

And if I continue adding cropped sweaters to my collection, I definitely see more circle skirts in my future.  But that's a project for another day.

Sweaters & Sequins

I love when two completely unrelated projects end up being a perfect pair!

I was working on both the sweater and stitching sequins and beads on the skirt at the same time, and it eventually occurred to me that the colors were a perfect match when I saw both items laying next to each other on the same table.

And while I was not finished making the matching top for the skirt, I decided that I could not wait any longer to wear the skirt. 

So in the Fall of last year, while the leaves were turning, I donned this sweater and skirt.

And I had a whole lot of fun wearing this skirt!

Circle skirts are definitely one of my favorite silhouettes, especially tea length circle skirts.

The sweater has become a staple in my closet (I liked it so much that I made another), but the star of this particular show is the skirt.

It is difficult to capture the shimmer of the sequins in a photo, but in the sunlight it catches the light beautifully.

While finishing the matching top, I had to find the leftover yardage to make a matching mask for attending the Symphony two weeks ago.

I did not realize just how much fabric I still have stashed away.  So there may be another matching blouse in the sewing projects queue.

I figure, I might as well get as much wear out of something that I spent so long making!

The only question is, to sequin, or not to sequin . . .

Sweater:  Made by me, "Jailbird Blouse" by Poison Grrls
Skirt:  Made by me
Shoes:  Nine West
Earrings:  Express
Ring:  Grandfather's high school ring

Laverne & Shirley

It's looking a lot more grey around here these days, so it seemed like a good time to post something nice and bright from a sunny Summer's day.  Which is not to say the weather will keep me from wearing bright pink.  It works in any season, and I love it, and you cannot take it away from me!

In fact, I think it's time to pull out the oversized turtleneck made from this exact yarn, because it feels like it just might be cold enough to wear such a cozy garment.  

This short sleeved monogrammed sweater was made from the remaining yarn from that project.

I am usually a bit aggravated by leftover yarn from a project.  I feel as though I should be able to get fairly close to the amount needed by looking at the pattern.  Other the other hand, it means that I get two sweaters for the price of one (or at least I can trick myself into believing that)!

And now that I have had the opportunity to wear this sweater a few times, along with the turtlenecked version, I feel safe to say that this particular yarn is really lovely.  Although it appears to be discontinued on the KnitPicks website, I believe this fuzzy marvel has been rechristened "Wonderfluff" in a slightly larger gauge (from DK to Bulky).  

Surprisingly, this particular yarn does not shed much.  I have a couple of sweaters made of alpaca that leave fiber bits everywhere.  I was expecting to have a similar issue with these sweaters, but I was willing to deal with the mess because I love the color so very much, and wearing a fluffy sweater is very fun, perhaps even comforting.

Now I am thinking that I need more super soft fuzzy fluff in my life.  And I don't feel like casting on an incredibly complicated knitting pattern at this point, but this yarn makes stockinette stitch look pretty fantastic . . . so maybe I should start looking for cozy sweater patterns.

And until that time, I have two fabulously fluffy sweaters to snuggle up with when the mood suits.  One has a monogram that makes people think I am channeling Laverne DeFazio, but hey, that's what happens when you wear a monogram and your name starts with the letter "L"!

Sweater:  Made by me, "Jailbird Blouse" by Poison Grrls
Skirt:  Made by me, Butterick 6285
Shoes:  Remix "Babydoll"
Earrings:  Vintage

Leftover Yarn Goodness

After making this sweater, I had a little more than 5 skeins of this lovely pink yarn left.

I usually purchase an extra skein, but this amount of overage was just silly.  My gauge wasn't that far off, so I suspect the pattern is overly cautious when it comes to yardage needed.  

Unfortunately, most sweater patterns in my library require at least 1,000 yards of yarn.  So what was to become of my pretty pink yarn . . . it seemed a shame to stuff it back in a drawer. 

And then I remembered how well my first Jailbird Blouse came out.  It's short-sleeved and cropped, so there was a good chance that I might have enough yarn for the project.

And clearly, there was!  As I was knitting along, there came a point where I was convinced that I would run out of yarn, but it turns out I have a tiny little bit left over after all is done.  This time around, I win yarn chicken!

For this version, I decided to fold the neckline as well as the armhole ribbing.  I wasn't sure how the armholes would look, but I like how they turned out, and I will probably use this technique again for short sleeved sweaters.

It's always fun to pull out the double pointed needles.  Setting them up for the first couple of rows is always awkward for me, but once I get going, I rather enjoy the technique.

And somewhere around this point of the sweater construction, I had a thought.

There is already one version of this pattern in a solid color in my drawer, so what should I do to make this one a little bit different.  Well, I decided that I should add a monogram to this sweater. 

The similarity to Laverne and Shirley does not escape me (which may be one of the reasons why I avoid adding monograms to my clothing), but I went ahead with the plan because I have been on a bit of an embroidery kick as of late.

In order to get the placement right, and know where I wanted my stitches placed as I was rotating the garment, I sketched the letter on a handy piece of paper and stitched it in place with a length of contrasting yarn.  That gets torn away after the basted outline is in place.

The technique worked quite well.

This was a very quick process, and it is rather subtle since there is no color contrast, but I really like the result.

Does this mean that I will start monogramming everything in my closet?  Probably not.

But I suspect I will be embellishing more sweaters at some point.

I definitely see floral designs in my future.